Volunteers and township workers recently gathered at Painesville Township’s Service Department as part of an effort to keep local waterways clean.
The group installed two rain gardens on Oct. 2 in the yard next to the department’s garage at 558 Fairport Nursery Road. The township workers used equipment to dig the gardens, while volunteers with the Northeast Ohio Master Rain Gardener program worked to plant it.
Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District Conservation Educator Natalie Gertz-Young said that rain gardens are similar to other flower gardens, but instead of being raised they are lower than the surrounding ground. The water is intended to sit for no more than 24 to 48 hours.
“We’re essentially giving that water a place to go so that it could infiltrate into the ground, instead of running off and ending up in a storm sewer or a drainage ditch,” Gertz-Young said.
Water runoff can collect pollutants like fertilizers, pesticides, dog droppings and litter, added Chagrin River Watershed Partners Associate Director Laura Bonnell. The gardens can help filter the water.
“It’s very, very obvious when it rains that there’s so much going into the lake that is not pretty,” Bonnell said. “This should help a little bit. Every little bit helps.”
Bonnell and Gertz-Young added that the gardens can also increase groundwater supplies and provide a habitat for local wildlife like birds and insects.
Painesville Township Service Department employees dig a rain garden at the department’s garage on Oct. 2. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
Painesville Township Service Department employees dig a rain garden at the department’s garage on Oct. 2. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
Show Caption
1 of 2
Painesville Township Service Department employees dig a rain garden at the department’s garage on Oct. 2. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
Expand
The rain garden project was funded by the Lake County Stormwater Management Department, Bonnell said. The department funds one rain garden project in a member community each year.
She described the partnership with the township as “the easiest partnership we’ve ever had.”
“We would not have taken this on if we did not have this tremendous help from the service department,” Bonnell said.
Township Trustee Chuck Hillier said that it was nice for the township to receive the grant.
“Converting a patch of ground into a rain garden reduces stormwater runoff and fosters a biodiverse habitat that supports thriving ecosystems,” he said in a written statement.
Bonnell and Gertz-Young were joined by volunteers who had recently taken classes from the Northeast Ohio Master Rain Gardener program.
Geauga County Master Gardener Christine Pappas said she took the rain garden course last winter and volunteered at the Painesville Township site to finish the course. She said she is interested in helping butterflies and bees.
A completed rain garden is pictured at the Painesville Township Service Department garage after it was installed on Oct. 2. (Courtesy of Laura Bonnell)
Becky Robinson said she was building a rain garden in her front yard to prevent runoff from getting onto her street.
“The more you do it, the more you see nature coming to what you’re planting, the more exciting it is,” Robinson said.
Megan Sigetic came from the west side of Cleveland. She said she supported installing more rain gardens in her home area because of flooding issues.
Bonnell said that nearly 1,000 people have taken the Northeast Ohio Master Rain Gardener course since 2019, and more than 200 rain gardens have been installed. She estimated that they are at 2.5 million fewer gallons of water reaching Lake Erie or surrounding streams each year.
She said that the course is available online and in-person. The program also has a list of landscapers who have taken the course and passed an exam.
The program also holds events and tries to build a sense of community, Bonnell and Gertz-Young said. A Facebook page is available for participants and alumni to discuss questions.
Information about events, a list of contractors, opportunities to volunteer to maintain a rain garden and more is available at neomasterraingardener.org.
Comments are closed.